Never Set In Stone
by Conium Aconite
Summary: Fate is never set in stone. When you change it, however, you have to be prepared to sacrifice anything. He's already given everything he has, fought with everything he has, and then he's had to lose even more because that's what he was fated to do. But this time? This time he gets a say in his fate. Totally AU, post Season 5. Eventual Sabriel, but only later on and fluff at most.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer for the whole story: I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters.**

Gabriel thinks that his father's creation is quite beautiful in its simplicity. A great, swirling globe of blues and greens and golds, it was quite the sight to admire. Gabriel liked it very much.

All of his brothers enjoyed looking down on the Earth. Gabriel, in particular, liked looking at the sun. He knew that whatever his father chose to inhabit this glorious planet would not be able to stare directly at the burning ball of gas. Gabriel liked being one of the only species that could stare at the ball of fire for hours on end without fear of blinding himself.

So here he sat. On one of the many great mountains that the world hosted, staring at the sun as it rose over the horizon and sent brilliant colours dancing along the lightening canvas. It was beautiful, that ball of fire. So powerfrul and destructive, yet so undoubtedly beautiful. Gabriel's no philosopher, but he could see that.

Now, you must understand, Gabriel really does respect the all of his father's creations. He does. He wouldn't exactly make a move to hurt them, wouldn't go on a rampage and destroy them all, because that's not exactly something his father would be proud of. Respect isn't something he does all too well all the time, but he knows his place. He also knows that respect does not mean fear. But when a random soul (yes he knew what it was it was instinctive) comes flying towards his face from a portal then he's bound to be at least a litle shocked.

He most certainly does not make an indignant sound when it collides with his grace and proceeds to circle him like a little whirlwind.

"What!" he cries, "Stop ple- OW! Wait, no, stop that, slow do-"

The soul doesn't care. It just blurs around him, a little ball of almost blinding silver light, and doesn't let him catch it. Where it collides every now and then with his skin and wings sends out a jolt of energy that makes Gabriel jump. He spreads his wings carefully, trying not to hurt it, and attempts to bat it away gently with his grace. He moves too slowly, however, and it's fully prepared for the action. Now it's clinging to the feathers on his upper right wing, which is both a strange sensation and a surprise. Gabriel lets out something akin to a yelp and tries to shake it off by taking off from the ground, but it has no effect other than making it glow gold with amusement and send more energy - electricity apparently - through and around him. The odd currents are neither painful nor pleasant. He groans, realising that it was probably not going to be letting go, and he dreads having to explain to his father why there's some random soul clinging to his grace. He dove down and landed lightly on the mountain beneath him, turning to glare exasperatedly at the soul that was now latched onto him and apparently not ready to let him go.

Surprisingly, though, without the wind rushing in his ears and the thumping of his wings, Gabriel could hear it. He paused, staring at the shining soul and listening hard to it.

Of all the souls Gabriel had listened to before - many souls, mind you, that his father wanted him and his brothers to look on and appreciate - this one definitely topped the list. The soft humming coming from within its swirling depths formed a melody, and he found himself entraced by it. It didn't stay still long enough for him to listen to it more, though, because it was off again, leaping around like an overly energetic fledgling.

Gabriel suddenly extended his lower left wing and the soul crashed into it. Hard. He hid a slight wince as he cradled it, wrapping it within a coccoon that he formed with all of his wings. The soul, seeming to realise that it was caught, slowed down and settled itself back into his feathers.

"If I release you," Gabriel said slowly, extending his grace so that the message got through to the soul, "You have to be still and calm. Human souls should not be this hyperactive, portal or not. Am I understood?"

A small wave of understanding came through the link of Gabriel's Grace. He nodded a little, not knowing if the soul was actually able to understand anything, and he slowly opened his wings. The soul stayed still. As if sensing his approval, the soul sent another feeling through the link, this one somehow forming a word.

 _Dean?_

Gabriel frowned. "Is that your name, my little friend?" he asked it, "De... Dean?"

 _Dean._

"Hello, Dean-"

 _Sam._ The word suddenly thundered down the link, making Gabriel jump a bit.

"Whoa, calm down now-"

 _Sam. Samuel._

"Your name is Samuel?"

A familiar voice echoed through the link - _Open your eyes, Samuel_ \- followed by the name being repeated over and over again like a mantra. Gabriel, recognising the twisting the soul did at the name, deduced that its name was, in fact, Samuel. But him saying the name aloud only made the mantra speed up, and the soul was off again, excited once more.

 _Samuelsamuelsamsamuelsamuelsamsamsamsamsamsamsam-_

"Samuel, stop."

 _Sam. Gabriel?_

Gabriel frowned. The recognition in the soul's aura made him curious. Apparently this being that he had definitely never seen before knew him. "Do you know who I am, Samuel?"

 _Gabriel? Gabriel?_

"Yes, I am Gabriel, mess-"

 _GABRIEL!_

"No, Samu-" he cried. The soul didn't listen , though. It shot forward and collided with his chest, sending him flying backwards. Surprisingly, however, the soul clung to him and repeated his name over and over, turning faintly gold at the core again with joy. Gabriel sat up as the soul shot back to his wings, burrowing in the feathers and ruffling them up. Gabriel shivered at the feeling and the soul slammed back into his chest, sending him flat again.

 _Gabrielgabrielgabrielgabegabegabegabegabecanyouhearmegabriel-_

"Samuel?" Gabriel gasped. This soul - far too energetic soul, by the way - it could speak enochian?

 _Gabriel can you hear me? You can't can you? Dammit, Gabriel, dude, what, Gabriel, gabrielgabrielgabrie-_

 _SAMUEL!_ he shouted. The soul froze, and though it was shapeless and therefore unable to actually see, hear or feel him, Gabriel felt himself being scrutinised.

 _Gabriel?_ It was tentative this time, more alert. Gabriel felt the edginess now that the initial confusion and ecstasy had faded. Gabriel huffed a small sigh, getting to his feet and brushing dirt off his clothing. Samuel had nestled itself between Gabriel's right upper and middle wings, pressing to his back and no longer emitting bursts of energy, but staying warm against his skin. He automatically adjusted his wings to form a protective shield around the delicate human soul.

"Can you hear me, Samuel?" Gabriel said aloud, sending the words along the link as well.

 _Yes._ The soul was much calmer now, nestled contentedly against Gabriel's Grace. He could feel something strange about the soul - he couldn't really pinpoint what exactly it was, though.

"Samuel why are you here?"

 _Here?_

"Samuel you're meant to be in heaven."

 _Heaven? There was obvious surprise in how that came through, and Gabriel almost smiled._

"Yes. You shouldn't be able to just come to Earth, my little friend."

 _Why would I be here or there?_

"I just asked you that."

 _How long has it been here?_

"Since what, Samuel?" Gabriel asked softly, frowning at the soul. The core was slightly darkened now, worry changing its aura to fit its agitated state.

 _It's Sam. I... What's that?_ Gabriel felt the change in its aura as the soul focused on something else. He frowned and reached out with his grace - there was a fledgling approaching.

"They're angels, Sam-" The questioning feeling was enough for the soul to ask with, "Two. I'm assuming that my brother was training Castiel when-"

 _CASTIEL!_

Gabriel didn't have time to warn the young fledgling as he landed with Raphael. Samuel was off again, crashing into the fledgling and sending both back a few feet. Raphael drew his angel blade and was about to strike, but Gabriel grabbed his arm, letting his memories of the past few minutes play out in Raphael's head. Understandably, Gabriel's brother was confused.

Not more than Castiel, however.

The tiny, blue-eyed fledgling was watching the soul zoom around and around his tiny form, purposefully avoiding hitting the fledgling's raven wings too hard. His big blue eyes followed the light as it attatched itself to random parts of his body, and Gabriel could hear Samuel going off its nut again.

 _Castielcasohmygoodnesscascascascascascascas._

"Gabriel," Raphael said confusedly, staring at the soul as it came to a stop, clinging to Castiel's wing like a decoration. Castiel looked slightly lost as to what he was supposed to do in this situation. "Gabriel is that a soul?"

"Yes."

"And it is in heaven?"

"Indeed."

"Even though it has not died yet?"

"Apparently so."

"Why?"

"That is an excellent question. You can ask it."

"Why can't you?"

"Because I already asked and now it's stolen Castiel."

Both archangels turned back to look at the fledgling again, watching him trying to look at the soul that was zooming from spot to spot to stay out of sight. Before their eyes, the soul looped under Castiel's legs and popped up right in his face, making him yelp in surprise and fall over. It was there immediately, though, cushioning his fall and settling on his belly then knees then face, then the undersides of his tiny wings. Gabriel could taste Raphael's amusement.

"What is its name, Gabriel?"

"Samuel."

Raphael nodded, reaching out with his Grace. Gabriel saw it connect with the soul, saw Samuel freeze, and heard the conversation.

"Samuel."

 _Sam._ Samuel sounded cautious.

"Samuel why are you here?" Raphael asked gently. Gabriel smiled a little - yes, his brother was a gentle angel.

 _Sam. Who are you?_ Avoiding the question was never a good sign.

"I am Raphael."

 _Okay. I'm Sam._ Amusement danced through Raphael's Grace. Apparently he was now under the impression that the soul was a little bit... slow.

"I know this, Samuel," Gabriel stifled a smirk at his brother's patience, "But why are you here?"

 _It's Sam and I fell in a hole._

"A hole," Raphael repeated disbelievingly.

 _Yes. I was in a hole and then I was here._

Raphael frowned a little and turned to Gabriel, who shrugged. With a small sigh, Raphael turned back to Samuel. "Samuel what kind of hole was it that sent you here?"

 _All of them. Big hole little hole. Hole with racks, hole with house, hole on fire, black hole, blinding hole, silent hole, loud hole, cold hole... Cold..._ A shiver went through the soul and its core turned stormy _, Always cold. Except when on fire. Then it was hot._

"Samuel-" The soul shot towards Gabriel and let loose a small burst of energy, then went back to Castiel's wing in the blink of an eye. Gabriel looked in shock at the electricity that danced over his skin, then at the soul, which was completely flat when it retorted.

 _Sam._

"Alright," Gabriel rolled his eyes, "Sam, then. What happened in the hole?"

 _What didn't?_

The sound of the soul's music jumped a little, the little voice darkening. Gabriel noticed that the soul, which was almost blinding in its brightness before, was darkening - not just in the core but spreading out. It pressed closer to Castiel and his Grace, seeking comfort in the fledgling's warmth. He nudged Raphael, who closed off all his questions and quickly changed the subject.

"Sam how do you know Castiel?" he asked. The soul stopped darkening, returning to its previous almost-blinding silver and replied happily while ruffling Castiel's feathers.

 _Friend. How do you know Castiel?_

Both archangels were stumped for a second. The little fledgling, who Gabriel quickly connected to the soul so that he could listen to what it was saying, stared at the light that wrapped itself around his arm, shoulders, then waist, happily returning to his hair and settling once more.

"Uh," Raphael searched for an answer, never having had to deal with this kind of thing before, "He is-"

 _Who's coming now?_

Gabriel rolled his eyes and reached out to sense what angels were coming this time. Michael and Lucifer were coming towards them, probably wondering why Gabriel and Raphael were with a fledgling and a rogue human soul.

It was made clear, though, when the eldest archangels landed, that Sam did not like them in the slightest. The soul was off, darting away from Castiel and in the opposite direction of the newcomers. Michael and Lucifer, startled for a second by the fact that there was a soul on earth that was most definitely not meant to be there, stared at it as it got further and further away rather quickly. Castiel, feeling the sudden absence of warmth, turned around and gasped at the ridiculously high speed that the soul seemed capable of moving at.

"I think you scared him," Gabriel said, spreading his wings. Nothing else was needed. Michael, Lucifer and Gabriel took off immediately, flying as fast as they could towards Samuel while Raphael took Castiel back, flying as fast as he could to try and catch up with his brothers.

Gabriel's link to the soul was filled with his pleas to slow down or stop or calm down, but the only thing he got in return was the same word, over and over. _No. No. No no. No no nono. Nononononononono..._

It wasn't exactly the first time a soul had gotten loose in Heaven from his father's vault, sneaky little things they were. But none of the souls before had been born yet, so they weren't very bright or smart, and none of them were flying along at the ridiculous speeds that Samuel seemed capable of. Gabriel knew Samuel was quick, but this was entirely unexpected.

Didn't matter how quick Samuel was, though. He was running from the archangels.

They caught up to him easily. Samuel's panic makes Gabriel wince, but he can't do anything before it ducks out of the way of Lucifer's outstretched wing. He makes an indignant sound, speeding after it, overtaking it again, and forming a huge shield with his glowing white feathers. The soul, instead of stopping or running into him, shifts its course and takes off in the exact opposite direction, going between Gabriel and Michael, who are trying to stop fast enough to act. Michael reaches out with his hand, but Samuel dives through a gap between his and Gabriel's wings, going off behind them.

Gabriel turns around and watches the soul crash right into Raphael.

It doesn't have time to recover itself, because Raphael encases it within four of his wings, the upper two keeping him airborne. Gabriel can feel Sam's soul bouncing around within the confines of Raphael's little trap, and winces in sympathy when the feathers all stand up and dance with little tendrils of lightning.

Michael snaps his fingers and the brothers are all standing on hard, familiar ground, folding their wings and staring at the deep brown feathers that encased the distressed soul. Gabriel briefly shares everything that Michael and Lucifer needed to know through a quick replay of events, and Michael cleared his throat, giving the soul an odd look.

"No soul came from the vault," Michael said, "Neither did a soul ascend to heaven after death in the last few hours that is unaccounted for. And this... Samuel, it is not from any creature our father has created."

"He came through a portal," Lucifer frowned, "From what I gather from you, Gabriel, that window was opened with a familiar power, but neither father's nor ours. Do you know what caused it distress?"

"It was perfectly calm," Gabriel said, "Until you two came."

Raphael spoke up then, sounding incredibly uncomfortable, "... Brothers."

"Yes, Raphael?"

"Samuel is not from our time."

"What?" Three heads snapped down to stare at the wings still wrapped securely around the agitated soul. Raphael, brow furrowed in thought, looked up.

"The soul, Samuel. It cannot be of this time. Father has never created something like this, and the fact that it knows us and we do not know it, perhaps that it because we have not yet reached that time."

The other archangels nodded, realising that Raphael was probably right. But in what time would a soul be afraid of the archangels of heaven? Why was Samuel so utterly terrified?

What happened?

Gabriel focused on his link to Samuel once more.

 _-in heaven I thought he wasn't in heaven what why what the heck is going on nobody explains anything dammit Raphael let me out let me out it's dark oh look now there's light oh wait that's me this sucks where the heck is my body right it's gone as well dammitdammitdammit hang on they didn't look right where are the vessels what is this alright calm down you're scaring you, Sam, and it sucks that you can't slap yourself because oh wait you don't have a body-_

Lucifer stared at Gabriel, who had fallen completely silent, and then turned to Raphael and Michael, "What is he talking about?"

"Wait," Raphael said urgently. Gabriel listened intently to what came next.

 _... Whoa. Whoa, okay, I did not think that was serious. I did not expect this to actually happen. Since when can this happen? WHEN DID THIS ACTUALLY DAWN ON THEM AS A GOOD IDEA?! Stupid Archangels, never explaining anything to me._ Gabriel stared at Raphael's wings, affronted, as Sam continued. _Gah! I hate it when they're being serious, you never know if they're kidding or not. Okay, what were the steps, Sam, think, wait, how are you even thinking you're a damn soul how is this- Stop listening to me, dammit!_

It took a second for Gabriel and Raphael to realise that yes, Samuel was talking to them. They glanced at each other, recounting the ranting to the elder brothers, then Gabriel spread his wing a little, prepared to catch the soul if it tried to run off. As Michael and Lucifer followed suit, creating three quarters of a feathered dome, Raphael glared sternly through his rich ebony down at the soul within the confines.

"Samuel," he said, "If I release you, you must be still and calm."

Gabriel listened as Samuel seemed to scoff. _Your brother said the same thing._

The messenger of god rolled his eyes as Raphael hesitantly opened his wings, letting the shining soul drift out as he completed the dome, providing no actual escape and encasing them in darkness, the only light coming from Samuel's soul and the faint glow of Lucifer's wings. Gabriel only appreciated then that Sam's aura was really bright.

And warm.

That second bit came back to him because Samuel shot forward and buried itself into the undersides of his wings again, it aura lightening now that it was calming down. Curiosity clearly took its place, because the soul was starting to move around a little again, no longer pushing hard into Gabriel's down.

The archangels didn't dare to move, watching the soul slowly move and grow hesitant when it came close to leaving Gabriel's golden wings and crossing to Raphael's rich ebony. When Raphael did nothing, it slowly touched the tips of his feathers. The archangel still did nothing, just watched Samuel as he pulled away from Gabriel and tentatively buried deeper into Raphael's wing. It fear was completely gone, replaced by intent curiosity as the soul roamed over his feathers, crossed over his chest, and then went to his other side, apparently taking great pleasure in ruffling his wings. Gabriel laughed when Samuel experimentally sent a little bolt of energy into the feathers, and Raphael looked at it with a mixture of amusement and shock.

Samuel approached Michael with far more trepidation. It stopped for a good four minutes, turning a little bit dark at the center again. Michael's beautiful white wings moved slightly, and Samuel flinched, but a second later it brushed against the tips of his feathers. The big surprise came right after, when Sam dove right into Michael's down and started messing up the smooth, neat undersides. Michael yelped and the other archangels laughed when Sam did the same thing with the other wing, then, for good measure, went to his hair and made it stick up. It froze there, apparently waiting for something.

Nothing happened, and it electrified him, making his hair stand on end and any peaceful feathers fluffed up.

The soul suddenly moved to hover right in front of Lucifer's face, remaining there. Lucifer stared at it, and Gabriel listened to the words that the soul directed at the Morningstar.

 _No._

Lucifer frowned, replying aloud and mentally to the stubborn thought. "What?"

That evidently meant something big, because the soul didn't even pause before it settled itself contentedly between Lucifer's wing and back.

No sooner had Samuel dug in than the archangels opened up the dome. The light of Heaven contrasted greatly with the almost-darkness of not a minute beforehand. Samuel shivered a little, then decided that now was a good time to explode.

Not literally. Gabriel didn't think that that was physically possible, but it suddenly gave a burst of light and started bouncing around happily, firing thoughts at every archangel with such speed that they barely had time to keep up.

 _OhmygoodnessitworkedhowareyouallareyourealareyouseriousitworkedhowawesomewhereiseveryonewhereisyourfatherIneedtospeakwithhimveryquicklyohmygoodnessgottamovefast!_

"Whoa, whoa, Samuel," Gabriel said, making the soul snap around and fix itself to his wing, "Calm down. Why do you need to speak with our father? What's wrong?"

 _Bigproblemgottatalk!_

"Samuel... Are you from our time?" Raphael asked tentatively. The soul paused for a second before replying.

 _No. Please, I need to speak with your father._

"This is a matter that father would want to hear about, yes?" Michael asked. The other archangels nodded. Michael turned to Sam, nodding. "Keep up."

The archangels all took off, and Samuel's soul song got louder as he raced after them, somehow managing to keep up. Even though they weren't going as fast as possible, it was still an impressive feat. They arrived at the Gardens within minutes, landing softly and walking towards their father.

God, of course, knew that they were coming, but Gabriel thought he saw a bit of surprise flash across his face when he saw the soul that had re-attached itself to Michael's wing, digging between them much like he had previously with the others.

"Michael," God said calmly, "Who is this?"

"Father," Michael replied, "This is Samuel. He's-"

"Not of this time," God said, extending a hand gently. Samuel, unsure, only moved when Gabriel sent a comforting thought towards him, drifting slowly to hover above God's hand. He frowned a little, apparently listening to Sam for a couple of minutes while the archangels respectfully tuned out.

Suddenly, God straightened, eyes sparkling with knowledge and his face lighting up with an idea. It was a familiar expression.

"Come, Samuel," he said, "I know what to do. Michael, Lucifer, Raphael, Gabriel," he looked lovingly at his eldest children, "I will call for you soon. Go back to what you were doing previously, enjoy your day. I will speak with you when you return to me."

"Yes, father," the archangels chorused, giving affectionate smiles as they took off, Gabriel going out of his way to stroke Samuel's soul once more with the tip of his wing.

As he watched all four of his children head back to their duties for the day, God looked down at the soul. Unlike his sons, God could see everything the soul had been through. The scars and awful pain he could sense on it were visible because this was his creation. He knew exactly what this soul should look like, and it was not this. He couldn't send him back to the Gabriel of his time through the bond he seemed to have with his son, because Gabriel... Gabriel was dead. Raphael was too hungry for power to do anything but use Samuel's soul should he return it to him. God didn't know what Dean felt like, and Castiel was a mere angel. He would not be powerful enough to catch the soul that would come racing toward him. And since he dared not send the soul back to Lucifer's prison where he would be utterly alone, God could not send him home. He did have an idea though, one that might be good for Sam and good for his eldest sons.

Maybe if there was another archangel in the game his sons might turn out okay.

* * *

When Gabriel heard his father calling for him a couple of days later, he got up from his place on the mountain. His free afternoon would have to wait. He took off hastily, racing towards God's vault alongside his brothers. He landed a little harder than usual, and as a result he toppled over. Raphael and Michael, who landed next, fell over as well as his flailing wings caught their legs, and Lucifer, who landed not a millisecond later was subject to a good cuff over the head from Michael's wing. He rubbed his head, prepared to scold Michael, but burst out laughing instead, watching his brothers get up from the tangled heap they had ended up in. Raphael elbowed Gabriel, giving him a small smile.

A deep chuckle came from their father, and each archangel smiled sheepishly at him.

"Father," Lucifer said, frowning slightly, "Where is Samuel?"

"Sam," Gabriel corrected. At Lucifer's confused look, he amended. "It's Sam. He doesn't seem to like his full name all that much."

"Ah..." Lucifer nodded.

"In answer to your question, Lucifer," God smiled, looking behind him. Gabriel followed his gaze, eyes fixed on the tall being who stood a little behind his father. The archangels stared at him, at the kaleidoscopic eyes that flicked up to meet theirs at random points. He was silent, only giving a small smile as God gestured for him to move forward. Gabriel could feel the familiar aura of Samuel's soul, but surrounding it was Grace. Not his or Lucifer's, not just God's power, but actual, new Grace, which definitely hadn't ever been there before. Samuel's Grace.

That wasn't the most surprising part, however.

No, that title was reserved for the three sets of colossal wings that sprouted from his back.

Gabriel gaped at them openly while his brothers broke out with a thousand questions.

"Why?"

"How, father?"

"Father, what's the meaning of this?"

"Truly?"

"Is that still Samuel?"

God held up a hand, and the archangels fell silent.

"I would like you to meet your fellow archangel," God said softly, giving the being a nudge towards his sons. Samuel was a little wobbly on his feet, and made it about halfway towards the archangels before Gabriel had to rush forward and catch him. He smiled, flapping his wings softly as Gabriel led him towards where he had been standing.

The archangels' attentions were snapped back to their father when he spoke once more. "He is as good as a brother. Look out for him." God smiled warmly once more, and then he was gone.

With that, all attention was on Samuel, who shifted uncomfortably under their combined gazes. Gabriel noticed that Samuel's grace was pulled a little too far in to be casual. It was more of a protective shield than anything else, and he was growing more uncomfortable with each passing second.

"Where do we begin?" Gabriel asked aloud, making each archangel jump a little. He prided himself on relieving the tension, because Lucifer laughed and threw an arm over his shoulder, ruffling his hair. Samuel let out a little puff of air, and coupled with the wide smile on his face it was some sort of laugh. The archangels regarded him for a bit, and Sam stayed still. Apparently he was quite uncomfortable, though, because his wings were raised defensively. Lucifer rolled his eyes.

"I think we should take archangel training into a different dimension. The could turn out exactly how Raphael's did."

"One mistake apparently haunts you forever," Raphael groaned. The archangels laughed. Michael snapped his fingers.

 **A/N This story is going to be the main focus of my time on this website until further notice. My other fic, Trust Me Not, is going to be undergoing some serious reconstruction because it's terrible and I hate me. I thought this plot was a good idea, but hey! I could be wrong.**

 **Stay safe.**

 **Sid.**


	2. Chapter 2

Sam had built quite the reputation.

He fought with precision and perfect balance, something he naturally had that for another would have taken a long time to perfect. His reflexes were fast and he adjusted to his wings - which were clearly not a part of his previous form - quickly. His two angel blades - not uncommon for many warriors within the Garrison - gleamed gold and silver respectively, carved intricately with sigils and words in a foreign tongue, and every movement he made with the weapons was purely natural.

He managed to coax out his war down when he was fighting with Raphael, the feathers hardening and sharpening, gleaming with deadly power. The obsidian expanses, tips dipped in gleaming silver, somehow darkened and displayed a malevolent, hypnotic beauty that distracted Raphael immediately. He found great pleasure in batting the other archangels over the heads with the hard armor-like down when they were in the middle of something - training fledglings, when speaking to other angels, when issuing orders. More often than not this resulted in a round of chase with at least half the angels in heaven.

The new archangel didn't exactly talk about it, but he had a sharp mind - he was rather intelligent, caught everything and reacted appropriately to it. Though he hadn't spoken a single word throughout the years that he'd been spending with the brothers, he managed to hold entire conversations with a combination of expressions, gestures and shifts in his Grace. Sam only communicated using words when he reached out with his Grace, and that was only on rare occasions. He often accompanied the other archangels when they were fulfilling their duties, and as the archangel of _Will_ (the symbol that represented it was carved between his wings like every other angel) he was slowly adjusting to his own duties, which he was happy to note were not quite as numerous as the others.

Gabriel had learned long ago that Sam had a rather mischievous side to him. He took great pleasure in helping Gabriel trick his brothers, and had a way of conveying his quiet amusement while being completely serious about any situation. When he discovered his minor domains, the fact that brotherhood and family were in there seemed to amuse him to no end, and it was easy to tell when he was thinking about them when his lips curled up for no visible reason.

Through all of everything, everything he appeared to be at first glance - intelligent, strong, _deadly_ \- the archangels knew him to be a giant child every second of every minute of every day. Through the bond - Yes, bond, because apparently Sam needed more than his own Grace to make sure he wasn't thrown all through different timelines so he had to be connected to _four archangels_ and Gabriel was _absolutely certain_ that he did it just for fun - Sam would spontaneously launch into a story about something or other that he distinctly remembered, or said something strange in a different language. In the middle of whatever important thing the others could possibly be doing. All the strange things he did, they were all a part of that immature side of him that somehow turned out to be _endearing_.

Which brings him to today.

Laying in the fields with his brothers and friend.

Laughing.

It was something that apparently Sam had been planning with Lucifer and Michael, seeing as the Morningstar and mighty General of Heaven were not being held down or helping. Lucifer had cornered Raphael and Sam had Gabriel pinned to the ground with his wings and his Grace. Gabriel, squirming, tried to pull his arms down from over his head, but it was no use - Michael, that traitor, was helping. Gabriel was no match for two other archangels.

Sam was doing something, digging his fingers lightly into Gabriel's sides, and it was making him _laugh_. He didn't know what it was, but it just made him laugh hard and long, the sensation was weird. He tried to get Sam to stop, tried full-naming him (Calling him Samuel only made the larger being grin wider and wiggle his fingers more) but Sam was being stubborn. Whatever was happening, Gabriel wasn't sure if he hated it or loved it. It didn't matter.

Lucifer, Gabriel could see, was stunned that Raphael was trying to escape whatever was making him happy, or that Raphael was laughing about whatever in Heaven was happening. Michael, however, apparently found their predicament hilariously funny. Gabriel was going to glare at him when-

"NonononoNOOOOOOOO!"

Gabriel shrieked, making all the other angels snap their heads to face him, concern for the almost-pained sound playing out on their faces. All they saw, however, was Sam lightly pressing and wiggling his fingers into the soft down just above the joint where his wings sprung from his back. Gabriel was wheezing with laughter, bucking wildly against Sam as he tried to escape. Lucifer, curious, did the same to a Raphael who had started begging him not to, and got a similar reaction - except for the shriek, that was replaced by a squeal, much more funny. Michael had to take over from Lucifer because he was laughing too hard to do anything. Lucifer moved toward Gabriel to hold his arms with his hands and watch Sam dig his fingers into his armpits, which made his youngest brother squirm and break down into a mix of laughter and nonsensical babbling.

It was a full fifteen minutes of this onslaught of laughter and pleasure-pain before the older archangels and Sam finally relented, leaving the younger ones to breathe and giggle and curl up protectively. Gabriel and Raphael regained themselves after a bit, sitting up and glaring at the others, who just cracked up. Sam was grinning, letting warm laughter echo through their heads, the familiar warmth of his Grace curling around them.

"What in father's name was _that?_ " Raphael chuckled, sitting up and eyeing Sam suspiciously. Sam only grinned at him, nudging him gently with one of his huge wings.

Michael looked up, as if listening, and sighed, getting elegantly to his feet and brushing off his clothing. "I must go," he said sadly, "There are things that I must do."

The brothers smiled a little sadly, waving at him as he took off for the training grounds. Lucifer slumped a little as his older brother shrank out of sight, but turned back to his brothers with a wide grin.

"I'd say Sam deserves the same treatment, don't you?"

Before Sam could react, he was flat on the ground.

* * *

 _Samuel didn't originally intend to interrupt the meeting. It was just that... Well, they were always talking about family. Sam remembered his family, he remembered that he had a brother and a friend who was an angel - the angel that Sam so often spent time with, Castiel. But then Raphael just starts blabbing about Sam's duty to his family and it makes him_ mad. _Sam had accepted it, like always, but then Raphael had the nerve to tell him that Sam had to listen to him because he was older._

 _Ridiculous. It never worked with..._

 _With..._

 _Dammit, he wished he could remember his name. He couldn't remember anything beyond... the hole._

 _In a true Winchester fashion, Sam had lashed out when another angel came in and started acting all self-righteous, so he just took off._

 _Stupid time travel. Stupid plans. Stupid Raphael thinking Sam's past doesn't matter. Stupid Sam, not telling them just how bad he really was. Stupid angels being so damn nice. Stupid Castiel being so familiar without being recognisable. Stupid-_

 _He looks down and there he is, having a serious discussion with God._

 _Stupid Michael and his stupid duty and his stupid righteousness._

 _What happened next was all Michael's fault, because he should definitely have been right there right then._

 _Within a few seconds, Sam was on Michael's shoulders, covering his eyes and sending them both crashing to the ground. Michael yelled a little a the sudden weight and rolled over, capturing Sam in a strong hold and giving him an incredulous look._

 _"Samuel?" he asked, surprised. Sam scowled, smacking Michael with his wing and earning an affronted look for his efforts._

 _"Sam," he said. Sam felt it as God disappeared from the scene, a hand over his mouth._

 _Giggling._

 _Stupid God, still thinks Sam can be redeemed._

Don't be rude, Samuel.

 _"Why," Michael looked around for God before turning back to Sam, frowning, "Sam, why did you do that? I was talking to our father."_

Your father, Michael, _Sam replied, the voice a mere whisper sent through his Grace, making the elder archangel wince._

 _"Sam? What's wrong?"_

 _Sam said nothing. He only buried his head into Michael's shoulder and pulled his wings in tight. Stupid wings and their stupid reminder of just how dark Sam really was. He didn't care that there were tears building in his eyes until they were rolling down his cheeks. By that time, however, Michael had gone full mother-hen mode, sinking to the ground and cradling Sam like the child he was in comparison._

 _Sam felt his worry, and it made him sad._

 _"Why do you call me family?" Sam whispered, pulling back and looking at a surprised and pained Michael, "Why do you care?"_

 _"Sam..." Michael trailed off, pulling the younger into a hug again._

 _"I... I did really bad things, Michael," Sam sniffed, "Really bad things. Michael, I-"_

 _"Stop right there, Samuel," Michael said sternly, and this time Sam didn't protest to his full name, "Sam, we don't care what you've done in the past. We don't care if you've destroyed the world or killed us all."_

 _"But-"_

 _"No, Sam! Listen to me! Our father -_ Ours _, Sam -_

 _"Our father," he said softly, standing up and letting Sam settle on his hip, "Ours, Sam._

* * *

As far as plans go, this one was possibly the worst.

Sam had fought in wars alongside the archangels before - pushed back against the Darkness, taken down beings who twisted themselves beyond recognition. He had watched Raphael heal an angel on the brink of death, witnessed the wrath of Michael when an angel was lost. He'd glimpsed Lucifer fighting with a strength and ferocity unlike any other, and he'd flown far and fast with Gabriel as he helped brothers out of tight spots and dived in to decimate unsuspecting enemy ranks. Many plans in the past had been questionable at best, but this?

This plan was downright suicidal. A frontal assault right towards the nest? Sometimes it surprised him that the archangels could live as long as they did.

Trying to warn the archangels of the stupidity of the ideas, however... that proved a fruitless attempt. Michael was convinced that this was the only shot they would have to take down the Noxi. Lucifer listened and cast it aside, sure that with the right preparation they would be ready. Raphael, though he trusted Sam, did nothing to hinder the approach of the battle, but neither did he eagerly push forward towards it. Gabriel, he was the closest Sam came to a change. He trusted Sam, and gave his word that he would do his best to convince his brothers in the place of their closest friend. But nothing was _happening_ and the battle was on the horizon.

Sam had not wanted to have to do something like this, but it seemed to be the only option.

The battle seemed in the Heaven's favour for the first part. The angels and archangels quickly approached the home of the ghastly, bloodthirsty monsters, but the closer they got the more uncomfortable Sam grew, his connection to his fellow archangels humming with warning. He found himself fighting just that little bit harder, pushing himself to his limits, and he didn't stop until he was there with Lucifer, guarding his flank just as Gabriel achieved the same position with Michael. The eldest archangels seemed slightly exasperated, but Sam and Gabriel stubbornly refused to relinquish their places.

Sam remembered vividly the stories that Lucifer and Michael had told him about how the war with the Noxi ended. It was this battle, this final fight, where they finally destroyed the race of malevolent creatures, but it was at a terrible cost. This battle, slaying thousands upon thousands of living beings, Lucifer had told him, marked the true beginning of his Fall.

Sam needed to do something.

Something... decidedly stupid.

He could feel the battle drawing to a close. He could taste the oncoming rush of victory, just as he did toward the end of ever war. He focused on his movements, spinning and slashing.

A stab and a Nox warrior fell.

A parry and thrust, there went another.

He kept going, tearing through the dwindling ranks. The angels were beginning to cheer, roaring their triumph as they approached the point where God's orders had taken them - the Noxi were to be destroyed and sent to Purgatory with the rest of the monsters who became monsters because they were too dark not to destroy themselves.

But of course, they celebrated too early. They let down their guard.

All it took was that one, tiny little mistake, that one little slip up. Michael turned away from his falling opponent the second he was slain, meeting the blade of another savage Nox. He didn't see the other warrior who shot forth in the place of the first, aiming his blade for Gabriel's wing, unprotected now that the elder brother no longer guarded it. The strike would have landed as Gabriel twisted back around, it would have torn through his torso and left a scar on his Grace. If it had landed.

Gabriel found himself facing a protective wall of archangel, one wall of feathered obsidian armour extended to protect Lucifer while the other shot back to send the approaching Nox flying backwards with a burst of power. Sam flinched slightly when the cursed blade sliced through his chest, a savage blow that pierced his Grace and made his muscles lock up for a second. Gabriel barely had time to gasp in shock and horror before the Nox was incinerated by the Grace that shot down the blade and Samuel was moving again, yanking the blade off him from where it dangled gruesomely from his abdomen and dropping it, eyes blazing. His gold blade, in a reverse grip, buried itself into a Nox's heart while the silver came around to decapitate another.

He turned to Gabriel, who only barely managed to block the next enemy's strike, and growled dangerously.

"Keep fighting," Sam said, "We panic when the war is done."

Gabriel nodded, and his attention was back on the last of the battle.

Michael and Lucifer had both noticed the chain of events that had only lasted a few seconds, and both upped their protective guard thrice over. All three could feel Sam weakening, but calling on Raphael was out of the question. They were in the heat of battle, and there was no way to bring any sort of healer into the fray without killing them, combat-ready archangel or not.

So they fought on until the war was won.

Though they had been in constant combat for days, the archangels neither slowed nor paused. Every now and then there was a flash of brilliant white light and an angel would roar and leap back into battle, a flash of wings the only sign that Raphael had been there. He dared not approach his brothers and Sam, who whirled in the middle of the fray. None showed weakness.

None dared show weakness.

By the time the final Nox was slain and locked in purgatory, however, Samuel was beginning to sag. The three great wings on his left were bent a little, held at an awkward and painful angle that pulled on the wound. There was silence as there always was right after a battle, then a great roar rose from the ranks, for the monsters were finally dealt with.

To Sam the noise thundered deafeningly around in his head. He fell to his knees, the sound dimming as the world went black.

* * *

"... soon."

Something that Sam had long become unfamiliar with was the feeling of unconsciousness. He hadn't slept in... oh, a couple of centuries, give or take. But then again, this coming back to consciousness didn't feel so much like waking up from sleep as it did coming to after being hit by a meteorite.

Meteorites _hurt_.

"How could something like this happen? We... we were fine!"

Speaking about things that hurt, maybe getting sliced open with a blade specifically designed to kill archangels wasn't the best idea either. Stupid human-turned-archangel, assuming he knew what he was doing.

"Perhaps he should have focused more on our friend and less on his thirst for victory."

Sam's thoughts drifted, and he felt a sudden burst of exasperation. He reached out and poured as much deadpan into his Grace as was possible.

 _This is why I can't do nice things for you._

"SAM!"

Sam's breath was knocked out of him when three different weights settled on top of him. He managed to pry his eyes open enough to see the relieved faces of his fellow archangels, and smiled slightly. He wrapped one arm around Gabriel, who was half on his side and the other came around Raphael, grasping Lucifer's arm behind him. The Morningstar let out a small laugh, eyes sparkling, and Sam frowned slightly. He raised an eyebrow, looking around pointedly.

"You've been out for days, Sam," he informed him, "Raphael's been healing you to the best of his ability."

A roll of the eyes and a nudge at Raphael's shoulder.

"Yes it was necessary."

With an amused shake of his head, Sam disentangled himself from Gabriel and Raphael, pulling himself into a sitting position. His chest ached, he noticed, but no worse than anything he'd ever suffered. The only thing that would last was probably the worry on his friends' faces. Lucifer's eyes kept flicking to the edge of a slightly raised silver scar that was visible peeking out of the edge of his clothing. Sam looked at it with an unimpressed expression. Instead of going on with the topic, though, Sam reached out, trying to feel the familiar well of Grace that didn't seem to be there.

 _Where is Michael? Is he alright? Was he injured?_

"Michael is fine, Sam," Gabriel said, glancing warily at a stony-faced Lucifer, "He's just..."

"He's got more important things to worry about than his brothers," Lucifer scowled. Gabriel looked down sadly as Raphael sighed, but Sam kept his eyes fixed on Lucifer. He could feel the anger that rolled off him and tinted his Grace.

 _This makes you angry._

"Of course it does," the Morningstar said impatiently, "He's so caught up being a general he's failing as a brother!"

 _Failing as a brother._ Sam's mental voice sounded tired, older than he should, and it made the archangels pause _. A failed brother. I suppose he's betrayed you? Chosen someone over you? Done something awful despite your protests? Perhaps he has unleashed a great evil or done something that's gotten you killed? Or has he failed to appreciate just how much having a brother means? Lucifer, Michael is many things. A failed brother... That is not one of them._

The three were silent, eyes instinctively going down to avoid the dark gaze of one who sounded so much older than he should. Sam stared into nothing for a few minutes, but his face broke out in a tired, mischievous grin.

 _Besides, no worries necessary. I still have battle scars than you do, Lucifer._

Lucifer, stunned by the change in subject, briefly thought of the ridiculous competition that he and Sam had to see who was clumsiest in a fight. It started out innocent, but now whoever had the most battle scars was decreed the most careless.

There was nothing to the title. It was just a competition.

Sam and Lucifer were way too competitive.

Gabriel, golden eyes previously hidden by his hair, groaned and headbutted Sam's uninjured shoulder. Sam laughed, running a hand through Gabriel's feathers and pushing him off gently, getting painfully to his feet. His dark wings were held at an awkward angle to avoid pulling at the rip through his flesh, and the feathers on the left side near the base were sharp and hard, impenetrable and defensive despite the distinct lack of enemies in the area.

Raphael, smiling softly, ducked under his arm.

"I suppose we should give Michael a little trouble?"

 _What gave you that impression?_ Sam smiled wryly.

They disappeared, leaving the sound of laughter in their wake.

 **A/N Alright, people. There you go. Hopefully you enjoyed that, a little bit of brotherly fluff and bashed Sam. The first few chapters are going to be placed pretty far apart in time, and I think the next one will probably be out some time later this month or maybe next. I can't do all too much to work on this story, I have a lot of work to do and I legit have to babysit my siblings for the rest of the year. Don't expect me to get in quick, please.**

 **Read and review, please, let me know what you think!**

 **Stay safe and at least partially sane, guys.**

 **Sid.**


End file.
